Serbia-Kosovo Train Tensions
On January 12, Serbia inaugurated a new railway from Belgrade to Mitrovica in Kosovo with a nationalist-inspired train whose decorations proclaimed “Kosovo is Serbia” in over 80 languages. The Kosovan government demanded the train halt, calling it a provocation. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic even said that the two governments were at the precipice of military conflict. The new rail-link was the first between Belgrade and Mitrovica since the 1998-99 Kosovo War. Mitrovica is home to Kosovo’s largest ethnic Serb population. Serbia still refuses to recognize Kosovo’s independence, despite marathon attempts to normalize relations between the two. The train was ultimately stopped and recalled to Serbia, defusing the situation. Belgrade and Pristina have been at loggerheads since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008. Kosovo’s independence is supported and recognized by the United States and over 100 countries worldwide. However, Serbia, backed by Russia and more than 80 countries, does not. Nevertheless, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to begin normalizing relationships in 2013, though the process has been slow. Kosovo is receiving its own international telephone dialing code after it struck a deal with Serbia. The compromise reflects the weight that national sovereignty disputes have between the states. While Kosovo receives a dialing code like any country, the Serbian government maintains that this is merely akin to the “regional” codes that Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan have. The opposition in Pristina, meanwhile, believes that this deal is tantamount to legalizing Serbia’s presence in northern Kosovo.
Serbia and Kosovo took a step forward with the telephone compromise, but the train incident could cause compromise to falter. Ultimately, Serbia and Kosovo hold irreconcilable positions on Kosovo’s independence. The two countries have to tread carefully to normalize relations without trampling their red lines. For incumbent governments, making peace with each other leaves them vulnerable to nationalist criticism by the opposition and backlash in popular opinion. The BBC’s Belgrade correspondent notes that some believe there is a connection between the train, the Serbian President’s bellicose rhetoric, and the upcoming presidential election. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic claimed he stopped the train because Kosovan authorities were placing mines on the rails. President Nikolic affirmed that he was ready to send Serbian forces into Kosovo “if Serbs are being killed.”
Vucic pleaded that “we sent a train, not a tank,” but the symbols and words on the train have the power to derail relations with Kosovo. Minding the differences between Belgrade and Pristina, politicians and diplomats need to be cautious and understanding in order to successfully normalize relations and reduce tensions.